Athlone Railway Bridge

Athlone Railway Bridge
Athlone Railway Bridge
	View of the bridge
Coordinates	53°25′38″N 7°56′45″W / 53.4272°N 7.9459°W
Carries	Trains
Crosses	River Shannon
Locale	Athlone
Other name(s)	White Bridge
Heritage status	Listed in NIAH
NIAH Number	15004129
Followed by	Custume Bridge
Characteristics
Design	Viaduct
Material	Steel
Total length	542 feet (165 m)
No. of spans	6
Piers in water	4
Rail characteristics
No. of tracks	1
Track gauge	1,600 millimetres (63 in)
History
Designer	G.W. Hemans
Constructed by	Messrs. Fox and Henderson
Construction start	c. 1850
Opened	c. 1851
Inaugurated	21 July 1851
Location

The Athlone Railway Bridge, also known as the White Bridge, is a railway bridge over the River Shannon at Athlone, Ireland.^[1]^[2]

History and Technical Details

The bridge was built in 1851^[3] and took 18 months to complete.^[4] The bridge is 542 feet (165 m) long. It was designed by G.W. Hemans, and built with a central span which can be opened to accommodate tall sailing craft. The iron-work was shipped to Limerick and then was transferred to Athlone by barge. The twelve cylindrical pillars are each 10 ft (3.0 m) in diameter.^[5] The opening central span is 120 ft (37 m) in length,^[4] but this was changed to a fixed section in 1972.^{[citation needed]}

The bridge is listed in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage under number 15004129.^[6]

References

^ Kelly, Tom (6 July 2011). "Protester's Athlone railway bridge demonstration is criticised". Westmeath Independent. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
^ Coghlan, Finian (2 August 2013). "White Bridge boat crash driver gets trial date". Athlone Advertiser. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013.
^ "Railways". Realized Vision. Institution of Engineers of Ireland. 2000. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
^ ^a ^b "Buildings of Note". Athlone. Athlone Town Council. 2014. Archived from the original on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
^ "The Railway Viaduct, Athlone". Ask About Ireland. Changing Libraries Initiative, Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
^ "Shannon Railway Bridge, Grace Road, Athlone, County Westmeath". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.

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[WB1-1] Kelly, Tom (6 July 2011). "Protester's Athlone railway bridge demonstration is criticised". Westmeath Independent. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.

[WB2-2] Coghlan, Finian (2 August 2013). "White Bridge boat crash driver gets trial date". Athlone Advertiser. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013.

[3] "Railways". Realized Vision. Institution of Engineers of Ireland. 2000. Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[althone-4] "Buildings of Note". Athlone. Athlone Town Council. 2014. Archived from the original on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[5] "The Railway Viaduct, Athlone". Ask About Ireland. Changing Libraries Initiative, Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[6] "Shannon Railway Bridge, Grace Road, Athlone, County Westmeath". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.

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